The Jewish panel for the Palestine conference, rejecting Britain’s new proposals for establishment of an independent state, decided today to dissolve itself and leave any further negotiations in the hands of the Jewish Agency Executive. The Palestinian delegates left for home tonight.
The Jews’ decision, which will be communicated to the Government tomorrow, was adopted after the Jewish delegates and advisers had heard reports from Dr. Chaim Weizmann, head of the Jewish delegation, and Moshe Shertok, head of the Jewish Agency’s political department.
The Jewish view is that the new proposals do not differ in any fundamental respects from the tentative British suggestions which the Jews had previously rejected. It is believed that the Palestine Arabs will also reject the proposals at tomorrow’s meeting with the British representatives.
On the Jewish side strong objection is taken to the introduction of the principle that Arab consent is necessary for Jewish immigration after the proposed entry of 75,000 in five years. This, it is held, destroys the foundations of the Jewish national home, violates the Balfour Declaration and the mandate and contradicts the statement of policy by Winston Churchill when Colonial Secretary that Jews come to Palestine by right and not by sufferance.
The Jews object strongly also to the contemplated development of government apparatus on the existing population ratio (about two Arabs to one Jew), interpreting this as the first step toward establishment of an Arab state. They hold that government bodies would be overweighted by the Arab majority and the principle of non-domination would be shattered.
In outlining the plan to the Jews last night Colonial Secretary Malcolm MacDonald declared he could not fix the length of the proposed transition period, which might be ten years, depending on the amount of Arab-Jewish cooperation developed. He outlined three stages in establishment of the independent state:
(1) Appointment of Arabs and Jews, in the ratio of two to one, to the Palestine Government’s advisory and executive councils, with Palestinians outnumbering the British in the advisory body and equalling them in number in the executive body;
(2) Establishment of a legislative council, possibly within two years, to which Palestinians would be elected, and the handing over of certain Government departments to the Palestinians;
(3) The turning over of other departments and eventual establishment of an independent state linked by treaty to Britain.
Mr. MacDonald indicated that the consent of all parties was required for termination of the transition period, but did not give convincing assurance that the state would not be established without Jewish consent.
In view of the expected rejection of the plan, it is expected that Britain will prepare its unilateral decision for announcement next week. The final plan is subject to Parliamentary approval. If it entails alteration of the mandate, it will also require approval of the League of Nations Mandates Commission. It is officially stated that the United States Government’s consent is not necessary, but that the British Government is conscious of the importance of American public opinion.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
